chapter 1

It was fall of 2018 when a very wealthy tech savvy activist group decided to set us all back to zero. We're talking about the whole world had zero debt, as well as zero wealth. The items you owned when you bought it, rented it, leased it, was now yours free and clear. The idea of the group was to see how well their fellow upper class would do in a world with zero debt and zero wealth. The chaos was yet to be realized, for people were so much in debt that they never paid mind to the fact that just as all their debt went back to zero, so did their bank accounts. Thanks to a time where no one kept a checking balance and records were kept solely on computers, but when the group later identified as the Neonates took responsibility for erasing the world's financial records, countries were at such a loss as to how to recover that they couldn't focus on how to respond to the threat. The Neonates controlled all the financial data, and made it very clear that their intent is to fix the world destroyed by politics and greed. The idea began to become embraced by their followers, and some countries ( the ones in most debt ) were almost relieved and offered refuge to the Neonates whose identities and whereabouts was yet to be discovered.As the days passed and it became clear that the world we all once new had literally been turned on it's head and shaken to the point where no one really knew their place. The hierarchy had been torn, and with this came purging, people who no longer were accepted or required were asked to leave their cities. Politicians, lawyers, and any other white collar worker that was unwilling to embrace the new world. The Neonates had became impressed with how well the world was evolving with everyone being back to Zero. It was obvious that most of the prosperous world was living well beyond their means, so the opportunity to set it all back to zero was a blessing for more than not. Of course those in power had no financial hold of their military or police, and therefore couldn't bully themselves out of the purge. Small groups of Neonate Followers began to form, and create barter banks, and soon enough anyone with a skill became the most sought out person. Anyone in the medical field was held in the most highest regard, along with farmers. The days of processed food had come to an end, and the days of famine seemed to be inevitable, yet somehow people all were helping one another in a way that the world had never experienced. The Neonates had quickly realized that their experiment would have to be permanent, for the world seemed better off with everyone being back to zero. Now that money was no longer, and bartering was the new currency of the world, Teachers began to rule their cities as they were the only ones who could teach the unskilled people who no longer knew their place in a non-monetary world. Those who had been forever stuck in the middle had now assumed a much higher role in the new world. Violence was kept at bay, but still pose a problem in many parts of the world. As time passed, desperate countries with little to no resources bartered their weapons of mass destruction, as did many of the inner city gang members. Even drugs were filtered out of cities thanks to their being no place for it in a non-monetary world. Down time became filled with working fields, and the building of more world barter banks. In a matter of 7 months, the world had seemed more united. The post zero world was unlike anything the Neonates could've ever imagined until it happened. To Be Continued....